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Hive (Campaign)
It seems, after the dreadful fear cast upon Arsinos by the wrath of Ruaumoko, the citizens of the world can rest peacefully knowing they have only each other to worry about. So far, every threat Arsinos has faced has been overcome by the Avengers. The latest threat saw the rise of a new team of heroes, though their sudden disappearance has left some wondering if their existence was nothing more than a myth. However, unknown to its leaders, Arsinos is about to face an entirely different threat - one not of this world at all. The Hive is coming. This time, the group of misfits would be faced against the brilliant and utterly insane Jim Moriarty, who has forseen the coming of a 'great event', and plans to turn it to his advantage. Worse still, the group will find themselves facing off against each other as battle lines and loyaties are fully tested. Now, there's no Masher or Cayden to run to for help - they're alone. Prelude One month following the final events of World Breaker, Ruaumoko has been sucessfully contained within the Orb, which also holds each of the group's powers. Human once again, the team of misfits went their seperate ways, some pretty extremely far, and either found a new life or lost themselves in the trauma of their ordeal. King Masher approached Jack Watermaine with a job offer - to find Anderson in Outland. Though Jack suceeded and the two were brought back to Devil's Crag, the king still refused to return to the pair their powers, stating that they were 'not ready' for their role as Operative. Meanwhile, the criminal mastermind known as Jim Moriarty had been busy. He had discreetly contacted several of members of the former super-hero team and offered them salvation and the return of their powers, in exchange for their help in a 'coming campaign'. Though, at this early stage, it was difficult to tell who had accepted this offer, several names eventually emerged. Draven Ziggurst, under instructions from Moriarty, bombed a train station in Devil's Crag, leading to the deaths of twenty seven civilians and a fear induced warning left by the Cult of the Machine God. He also claimed a small USB stick, for unknown reasons, and then flew to meet Moriarty on the Island of Doom. At the same time, Serenity Vine was enticed by Moriarty's offer and carried out the assasination of Mr Jelly Belly, a UNEC member. Both attacks happened at the same time, raising the suspicions of King Masher - he promptly sent Jack and Melissa to investigate the attacks. Draven's Turn Moriarty's exact influence on Draven and Serenity is unknown, but at some point he 'showed' them something that would threaten the future of Arsinos. Promising them power and revenge, he allowed Draven to take off on a mission of his own. However, Draven had a change of loyalty and instead turned himself in, revealing everything he had learned about Moriarty to King Masher. Moriarty seemed to believe that an alien invasion was due, and that it would be possible to control the hive fleet using pyschic powers. In addition, he was planning a string of terrorist attacks in order to 'soften' the world up for their arrival. Unsure of his true loyalty, the King declared that Draven should be imprisoned at the Spire. He also returned Jack and Anderson's powers - although, as part of a 'training' scheme, swapped their powers around to teach one another self-control. Anderson, suffering from pyschic visions, claimed to have 'images' of the alien hive fleet approaching Arsinos, and of its inexhaustable hunger for biomass. Moriarty's Cunning Using the testimony of Draven, King Masher informed AAC's government of Moriarty's presence on the Island of Doom. Violet Bloodstone immediately went to investigate, however Moriarty and Serenity had already packed up and left - the criminal mastermind clearly had eyes and ears everywhere, and already knew of Draven's betrayal. Even more worrying, however, Jack and Anderson learned that the USB stick Draven had delivered to Moriarty contained a copy (or perhaps the original) of the A.I known as the Machine God - the most dangerous machine Arsinos had ever faced, and planned to use it to hack into Devil's Crag and return Serenity's powers to her. King Masher charged Jack and Anderson with finding the other members of their former team - Doc Johnson, and Juana, who's whereabouts were unknown! The Machine God returns Following a confrontation between the manipulated Serenity in Novak, in which Jack's powers were absorbed by Serenity, the team returned to Devil's Crag to find it attacked by Moriarty and Serenity, along with a small army of henchmen. After a long drawn out battle, Moriarty used the Orb to steal both Anderson and Cayden's powers, leaving only Draven's intact - Draven's head was half blown to pieces by Moriarty, leaving him almost incapable of fighting. Moriarty also convinced Serenity to kill King Masher, however Cayden jumped in front of the bullet at the last minute, saving his father's life. Moriarty escaped with the Machine God and Serenity. However, mid-flight, Moriarty revealed his true intentions - he intended to take Serenity's powers as well, which he did, and then dispose of her as she was no longer useful. He claimed that he had 'everything he needed' to prepare for the coming alien invasion. Serenity, however, acted quickly - she blew the plane half to pieces, barely escaping with her life. Moriarty and the Machine God, however, survived the crash. Back in Devil's Crag, Serenity awoke and made amends with the team. King Masher, ridden with trauma, became a recluse and refused to help the group anymore. Doc is Attacked Under Cayden's instructions, the group flew to Outland to find Doc. They found him in the city of Terminus, where he had been working with abandoned orphans to help redo the damage Ruaumoko had done to the city. However, they found him under attack by Moriarty's henchmen. Moriarty had already taken his powers. Anderson, Jack and Draven were then ambushed by the Machine God, who effortlessly overpowered them. Moriarty appeared and offered them a twisted 'deal' - in return for Draven's power, he would let them live and 'reconsider' burning Terminus to the ground. Doc managed to distract The Machine God by dropping a roof tile on its head, allowing Jack to shoot Moriarty. Though not fatally wounded, Moriarty was taken out of action and the Machine God carried him away. Doc, Jack, Anderson and Draven returned to Devil's Crag, where they found Serenity and Juan waiting for them. With the team now fully together, Masher revealed that the Orb had been stolen, and that Cayden had disappeared. In one last ditch effort to end Moriarty's schemes, the team flew to Tophat Island to confront him. The Second Rise of the Machine God When the team arrived on the island, they found a holographic image of Moriarty - who was refusing to meet them in person, apparently. He revealed that the Tyranid hive invasion was made up, and that he had created it to induce fear into Arsinos and create a market so he could sell the Outlaw's powers. Meanwhile, the Machine God had hooked himself up to Amun-Seth's security system, using the Orb to power it, and retaken control of the Steel Tide. Amun-Seth had turned into a bloodbath as the machine's began slaughtering everyone. The Outlaws fought the Machine God, who ultimately overpowered them. However, they were able to crack his armour open and reclaim their powers before the Machine God left. It was a victory for them, but Moriarty had still suceeded in ressurecting the Machine God and taking control of the Steel Tide Cayden's Turn Before leaving the island to rescue Amun-Seth, the team found themselves confronted by Cayden. Looking extremely ill, Cayden revealed that he had been communicating with Ruaumoko, whom he believed to be his kindred spirit. He revealed that he was tired of being 'caged' by those who controlled him, his father included, and wished nothing more than revenge for his treatment. The standoff ended when Masher was zapped by Cayden, and Cayden disappeared with the Orb in his hands. The Outlaws examined Masher's injuries, but were unable to save him. Masher was dead. Aftermath Ultimately, the events of Hive were a defeat for the Outlaws. Though they managed to get their powers back, they were manipulated and defeated at every other turn. This in turn would lead to the formation of the Four Horsemen, a team of super-villains that would become the bane of Arsinos. Cayden, having released Ruaumoko from the Orb, went to Northrend in order to restore Ruaumoko's powers. The Machine God and Moriarty remained on Arsinos, subtly spreading their influence and plotting the downfall of the nations. Category:Campaigns